China-Based KB Biotech Solutions to Bring 100 New Jobs to South Carolina
A venture of China-based Anhui Chem-Bright Bioengineering Co. Ltd. named KB Biotech Solutions, is opening a manufacturing facility in Dillon County, South Carolina. Along with the facility, the company expects to create 100 new jobs and begin hiring in the first quarter of 2018.
Anhui Chem-Bright is headquartered in the Industrial Zone of Huaibei, China. Its focus is on the research and development, manufacturing and commercialization of Active Pharmaceutical Intermediates (API). Its main products are cholesterol, bilirubin, cholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, pig bile powder and ox bile powder. Its venture, KB Biotech Solutions, is the largest producer in China of natural steroidal raw materials and intermediates, which are used in pharmaceutical raw materials, cosmetics, functional foods and feed additives.
The company bought a 55,000-square-foot polar cold storage building located at 1317 East Main Street in Dillon, SC.
“Today’s announcement is proof that good things come to those who wait,” said Dillon County Council Chairman Archie Scott in a statement. “We decided to make the commitment upfront of providing infrastructure, a talented workforce and available buildings, and it has paid off for Dillon County. The seeds were planted early on and now our economic development garden has begun to bear fruit. We are happy to announce that we are adding more jobs to our community and providing more opportunities for our citizens.”
The company plans to invest $12 million in the operation. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project and Dillon County received a $150,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to help pay for the building upfit.
“South Carolina’s manufacturing industry continues to take our state to heights never reached before, and this announcement is further proof of that,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster in a statement. “The 100 new jobs that KB Biotech Solutions is creating in Dillon County shows that this great company is committed to our state and our people, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this new partnership.”
Dillon, the county seat of Dillon County, is about 125 miles southeast of Charlotte. The county has a population of about 32,062 and in July 2017, reported an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent. It is approximately halfway between Charlotte and Myrtle Beach.
“This announcement is great news for our company, and we are excited to be locating in Dillon County,” said Yan Zhao, chief executive officer of KB Biotech Solutions, in a statement. “Between its proximity to suppliers, easy transportation opportunities, and a dependable labor force, we look forward to what the future has in store here.”
South Carolina isn’t necessarily the first place one thinks of when biotech is mentioned, but recently the state has made efforts to develop the infrastructure for a more robust biotech presence. At a recent conference held in Charleston, Jim Greenwood, head of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), based in Washington, indicated that the state could reconfigure its economy with biotech in a way that doesn’t need to match Boston or San Francisco. “It’s not a zero-sum game,” Greenwood said at the conference, which was organized by the SCBIO. “What we have to learn is that science and biology and biotechnology is infinite. There are thousands of diseases for which we have no treatment.”